Number Six Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 I've seen and heard a lot of people discussing ways to keep their kids entertained during the school holidays recently. Now, this may be testament to what a good job mine did on that front, but I don't remember this being much of a problem in years gone by. We used to play with our mates. When it was hot my mum would fill the paddling pool. If it rained we did Lego, or painted, or occasionally got to make cakes. We also had projects. I demonstrated that a seven year old can push toy cars around for days on end without getting bored. When I was a bit older I counted the number and types of birds on the bird table. I used to go with the retired chap from next door when he walked his dog sometimes. We played cricket. We went to the park. Very ocassionally we'd pay to use a tennis court there - a bit of a luxury because it was 30p (this was the late 80's) My mum couldn't drive when we were small, and besides my dad took our only car to work, so we never went far,although sometimes my grandparents would take us to a local National Trust place or something in their car. It seems these days it's all about having as many 'experiences' as possible - Gullivers Kingdom, Blackpool Pleasure Beach - all that stuff. Am I being misled by nostalgia and a distorted view of 'modern kids'? Or did us 30 somethings just do simpler, cheaper things to amuse ourselves? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cressida Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 Can't they go to Summer Camp? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holly11 Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 I think what the OP is getting at is that 30 years ago, kids often amused themselves by building dens, climbing trees, creating ramps in the road for there BMXs, playing spot against the wall, climbing on garage roofs and not forgetting other activitys such as playing thunder and lightning during the holidays. All done without any cost to the parent and certainly did not need an adult to organise things. Can you imagine someones dad back in 1982 helping to build a den? no way jose Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Towton Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 I remember those Halcyon days too! Lol- out on my tracker bike, drawing at home or playing with toys- usually not expensive. The world got more materialistic and stuck-up, where everyone has to brag about doing a big trip or owning something expensive, and kids are under more pressure by schoolmates to have great toys bought or have done something 'big'? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holly11 Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 Can you remember the bikes we had in the 1980s? Kids with the BMXs, some kids had racing bikes (5 speeds or even a 10 speed bike), some kids had a chopper bike and of course who can forget the kid who had the "budgie bike" ? the poor kids desperate attempts to do stunts on a budgie? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Towton Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 Can you remember the bikes we had in the 1980s? Kids with the BMXs, some kids had racing bikes (5 speeds or even a 10 speed bike), some kids had a chopper bike and of course who can forget the kid who had the "budgie bike" ? the poor kids desperate attempts to do stunts on a budgie? In the 70's we had heart tremors trying to pull wheelies on Grifters!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chem1st Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 I don't think your looking at it from the kids perspective. Your friends might be bouncing a few ideas about and have one trip. The kids are probably more interested in playing games outdoors with their friends, perhaps computers over the internet. Some probably post on here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppins Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 Then theres always DORA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Erikson Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 Health and safety has a part to play in all this. http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/sep/07/health-and-safety-children-school-play An old article I know but the subject is being raised again. I heard a bloke on the radio talking about the latest survey his department did and they found the majority of children under 10 enjoyed and wanted to play out more than stay in. The trouble is, and parents in the same survey agreed, that things like the media, schools with regards to health and safety and even the government all go way over the top when it comes to children's exposure to danger. We all do it. Kids under 10 are too fragile to even look at without they're being harmed and once they hit their teenage years we all hate them and want them off the streets. Maybe it's our attitudes to children and not the children themselves? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulgarian Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 I still have the scar from an epic tarzan swing accident down Riverlin, happy days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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